The best of Alberta's 2023 harness racing season were honoured at the annual Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) Awards during a night of glitz and glam on Saturday, March 9 at the Best Western Calgary Plaza Hotel.
The star of the night was Shark Week (Vertical Horizon-Shark Gone Bad), who was named Alberta's Horse of the Year following a 20-win campaign in 2023 including his historic 1:49.2 mile last June at Century Downs that landed him in the records books as the first sub-1:50 pacer in Western Canada. Some of his connections were also recognized individually as trainer Rod Hennessy was named Horseperson of the Year and Meridian Farms was awarded Breeder of the Year.
Brandon Campbell swept both the Trainer and Driver of the Year categories after putting up career-best numbers all around. It was a big night for the Calgary horseman, whose stable stars Virtual Horizon, Grey Horizon and Metaki were also among the award winners.
The full list of winners appears below.
Two-Year-Old Alberta Sired Filly
Byby Baby Byby
Two-Year-Old Filly
Outlawguns N Roses
Two-Year-Old Alberta Sired Colt/Gelding
Come On Santana (tie)
Grey Horizon (tie)
Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Come On Santana
Three-Year-Old Alberta Sired Filly
GTs Skyla
Three-Year-Old Filly
GTs Skyla
Three-Year-Old Alberta Sired Colt/Gelding
Virtual Horizon
Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Virtual Horizon
Champion Aged Mare
Stash The Cookies
Champion Aged Horse
Shark Week
Champion Claimer (Fillies/Mares)
Metaki
Champion Claimer (Colts/Geldings/Horses)
Captain Fireball
Fastest Girl(s)
Daisy Corvette (1:51.4 at Century Mile)
Senga Nightmare (1:51.4 at The Track On 2)
Fastest Boy
Shark Week (1:49.2 at Century Downs)
Rising Star (Trainer/Driver)
Scott McGinn
Trainer Under 150 Starts
Gerry Hudon
Trainer of the Year
Brandon Campbell
Driver Under 150 Starts
Chris Brown
Driver of the Year
Brandon Campbell
Owners of the Year
Jodi Loftus, George Rogers and Raymond Henry
Breeder of the Year - Six or under mares
Nancy Tamblyn
Breeder of the Year
Meridian Farms - Bill and Denise Andrew
Horseperson of the Year
Rod Hennessy
Breeders Award of Recognition
Doug Stout
Ron McLeod Award of Recognition
Shelley Arsenault
Caretaker of the Year
Emma LaForce
Horse of the Year
Shark Week
(Standardbred Canada; Photo of Shark Week with driver Mike Hennessy and trainer Rod Hennessy)